Paul and Granny recorded “The Old Rugged Cross” for Easter and shared it on our Blind Pig & the Acorn YouTube channel.
I love the old hymn and grew up singing it in church. Every time the choir sang the lyrics they always caused a peaceful grateful feeling to rise within me. I still feel the same way when singing the song today.
It was written in 1912-13 by George Bennard. The website Hymnology Archive offers more information about Bennard’s life as well as the story of how he penned one of the most famous hymns of all time.
I hope you enjoyed Paul and Granny!
Tipper
Original singles released on Spotify.
Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016).
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Sweet sweet Granny
This was my granddaddy’s favorite hymn. One of the biggest blessings in my life was last summer, getting to listen to my 6-year-old grandson sing this hymn in his great-great grandfather’s church.
Granny and Paul did an awesome job singing The Old Rugged Cross. Their voices blend in so beautifully together. Granny and Paul keep singing those old hymns, they are the best songs. I Love them. God Bless you both.
Sang this song at church with our sing group. Always makes me cry
The Old Rugged Cross has got to be the hymn that crosses all faiths, I grew up listening to my Mother ‘s singing while doing her kitchen duties or in the fields hoeing corn, always that one when she needed a lift. Like your bloggers, I too feel the old time hymns are the most spiritual and meaningful.
Just beautiful! Granny has a lovely voice, and I enjoy her singing with Paul. I grew up hearing this song along with other old songs in my church. After many years of abandoning the church, I was finally baptized in my childhood church on June 14, 2023 at the ripe old age of 71. Upon returning to my childhood church, I was disappointed to find out they no longer sing those beautiful old songs I remember while growing up in that church. Randy, I’m like you, I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, so I just sing so low no one can hear me, almost a whisper. But I don’t think the Lord will disapprove because he knows I can’t sing. Doesn’t the Bible say,
Make a melody in your Heart” or am I wrong on that? Please correct me Tipper & subscribers if I am wrong. I had prepared to go to church this morning & had my tithing check written out, but I had insomnia so bad last night that I couldn’t go to sleep until after 6:00 am, thus missing church. I feel so convicted about missing church. Having only being baptized 2 years ago, I am still a babe in Christ & sometimes wonder if I am doing enough. Y’all please pray for me that I will live each day in a way that is pleasing to the good Lord. I often doubt myself, asking am I good enough. Love to all!
Cheryl, none of us are good enough 🙂 That’s the wonder of God’s grace and mercy! I will pray for you!!
Thank you, Tipper.
Cheryl, if our salvation depended on us be “being good enough” none of us would stand a chance. I enjoy reading a daily devotional email from Dr. Charles Stanley each morning @ 6 o’clock. They have helped me. Being saved does not mean we no longer sin, it just means we are now forgiven.
Randy, thank you SO much for your encouraging words. It means so much to me. I have always been a perfectionist in anything I tackle & I know that is sometimes a fault of mine. Thanks you again.
BEAUTIFUL! Thank you for sharing.
The Old Rugged Cross is my favorite hymn. I love it’s message, but mostly I love it because it was one of my Pa’s favorites. He only sang when rocking his children and grandchildren but he never left this one out.
I love the videos of Granny and Paul singing. I wish Paul could mic Granny a little better.
I mentioned my church still singing the old time hymns. This morning songs were: Uncloudy Day, Victory In Jesus, I Feel Like Traveling On, and Trust And Obey. The lady that sang the “special music” sung a song that has these words “if I go or if I stay, I’m a winner either way.” Someone else (Allen) mentioned THE Broadman Hymnal, I remember singing from it in the 50’s and early 60’s. Our choir will still occasionally sing songs from it. We still have these books in the choir room were the choir rehearses. Truthfully this mornings songs were not as old as some other morning services.
Thank you, Paul and Granny, for such beautiful singing. We are all blessed because of it.
Paul’s duets with Granny are just precious. I enjoyed this one twice, and then listened to several more on You Tube.
The sheet music in the picture isn’t the same as I saw in our songbooks at church. The notes in the picture are all the same tilted oval shape and are all filled in black. Our songbook had different shapes for different notes and some of the shapes weren’t filled in at all. Our songbooks were written so that people could sing without a musical instrument to guide us. On occasions where guitars were played in our services the instrument was tuned to the voice of the song leader instead of the other way around. Our church had a piano but nobody played it a part of a service because the tuning was fixed and couldn’t be changed to fit the needs of the singers.
I have seen pitch pipes and tuning forks used to determine the lead note but that was only done during practice sessions.
Hey Ed, our church has a pianist and an organist, both of them can read music. Most of the rest of us do not know one note from the other, we just try to make “a joyful noise for the Lord!” There are a couple of members that play guitars and sing songs for the special music, they do know the different keys when playing the guitar. Personally I sing solo-so low no one can hear me! I tried to sing out loud one time, my dear friend that sits on the pew in front of me turned around and asked me where does it hurt, do I need to call 911?
I enjoy every song that Granny has a part in!
Thank you, Granny and Paul. The Old Rugged Cross is another one of my favorites. Y’all did a wonderful job!! Have a blessed Sunday!
Love hearing them sing. My Daddy was put on hospice almost 2 weeks ago, and I played that for him this beautiful Sunday morning. Please remember us in all your prayers. Ricky Tuggle
Kourtni-I will continue to pray for him and for you all!
Kourtni- I am so sorry about your daddy. I will say a prayer for you all this morning.
I will be praying for your daddy and all of you.
Kourtni, I will pray for your daddy. May our Heavenly Father bring you comfort too as only He can give.
I grew up Episcopalian, and didn’t really sing this song often until I married my husband, who grew up Baptist. This is a wonderful song! There is a book called “Then Sings My Soul” which has the sheet music and the stories behind “the world’s greatest hymns.” I bought it, and its two sequels, back in the new year for devotional reading. You and your family might like them!
Happy Sunday! This is one of my favorite hymns and I can hear my own granny singing it as I listen, whose voice was much like your granny’s. It was wonderful to hear Granny a little more ‘loudly’ in this singing. There are a few good ‘worship’ song today but none compare to these ‘oldies.’
Paul, you did it again, showed me how someone who plays an instrument can lower or raise the pitch, (is that right) to better match an particular voice. Bless her heart, our piano player has to do that every time for me. I am bad to pitch a song too high at the beginning and go to rack and ruin in the chorus. And sadly it is getting worse rather than better. All that aside, you two did very well. I thought the second time was the best (though the first was also fine). In my ignorance I can’t say why exactly. But I think maybe it was
a closer match to Granny’s voice. And if you should tell me the same voice varies on different days (sigh) I would say, “Don’t I know it.” I want to hear the perfect harmony of the great congregation when we all get home. That will be the first time that sound will ever have been heard because it will be the first time it has been made possible.
Thank-you to Granny and Paul for singing that lovely old hymn…one of my favorites! They sing so beautifully together:)
Well performed Paul and Granny!! This is one of my all time favorite hymns. I remember singing it in church from THE BROADMAN HYMNAL when I was a boy in the mid-1950’s. Today’s contemporary gospel music can’t hold a candle to the old-time gospel music. I hope each of you and all your family have a blessed weekend. (Continued prayers for sweet Granny)
I really enjoyed that. The Old Rugged Cross has been my favorite hymn since I was a young child. It was wonderful to hear Granny’s beautiful voice on the chorus.
Always enjoy hearing Granny and Paul singing. The Old Rugged Cross was a wonderful choice for Easter. I too grew up singing it in church and is so comforting whenever I hear it.
Sorry about the mistake, should be Baptist Hymnal book.
good morning Wilson family, I enjoyed Paul and Granny singing the song, God bless you very much
One of my favorites!! Thank you Paul and Granny. By the way, I also listened to song Pap wrote “You Will Miss Heaven Most of All.” I didn’t realize that Pap had a sister, Carrie, and my goodness what a beautiful voice she had. God bless and have a great week.
Happy Sunday! What a blessing to hear Granny and Paul singing The Old Rugged Cross. Beautifully done!!!
One of the old hymns we sang in church while growing up in Ohio and one of my favorites. I used to play this hymn and many others on the piano, now you rarely hear them. I enjoyed hearing Granny and Paul sing. Many memories were brought up.
Tricia, I have attended the same country Baptist church all of my life along with many of the other members, we still sing the old time gospel hymns and use the Baptist Hyman Book, none of today’s new so called religious songs.
I used to play this song and many others on the piano in church when I was young too. I liked singing in the choir much more—and leaving the playing up to someone else—but our pianist moved away. I was never a great pianist, but for a while, I was all we had. I did, however, love playing at home and singing with my family. One year, this was the only evening entertainment we had—our television was busters and we couldn’t afford a new one at the time. We would sing hymns all evening. My mama really loved it. Granny and Paul’s voices sounded quite beautiful singing this morning. Thank you for sharing.
this was one of my mother’s remembered childhood favorites. i am surprised to find it was written in the north when she was already five years old! must have made it to tampa pretty quick, despite primitive recording methods. she must have taught it to me some 50 years later as i was able to sing right along with paul and granny!
I love the old time hymns, as I have wrote before, to me today’s religious songs can’t hold a candle to the old time hymns. The Old Rugged Cross has got to be at the top or near the top of my list of favorite gospel hymns. Many days when I am feeling down, I spend hours on you tube listening to The Blind Pig gang singing them. I also like another group I recently discovered, The Breadenberger Family.